Windows 8: Should I still develop for desktop?

I had a question from a friend a few months ago about the Windows 8 Modern UI replacing WPF and if he should still invest in training for desktop development. I understand where the concern is coming from – WinRT is the new shiny kid on the block and there is a fear of irrelevancy. Stave off your fear, my friends! Desktop is here to stay for the foreseeable future and polishing up the ole WPF skills is never a bad thing. There will be demand for that skillset for years to come as companies still have to build robust desktop apps that just don’t fit into the Modern UI scenario.

There will be codebases that need maintenance, new features to add and just outright new projects that will require desktop development skills like WPF.

Having said that, there is no reason a developer can’t develop for both desktop and Windows Store. Is there? Take those awesome XAML/C#/VB skills and put them to use in an app and make some money!